Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Sell Us Your Item
For up to a $6.41 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Warehouse Deals Add to Cart
$23.97  & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Amazon.com Add to Cart
$24.26  & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Design for Living (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1933)

Fredric March , Gary Cooper , Ernst Lubitsch  |  NR |  Blu-ray
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

List Price: $39.95
Price: $23.99 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $15.96 (40%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 20 left in stock.
Sold by newbury_comics and Fulfilled by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.
Want it Tuesday, May 21? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Other Formats & Versions

Amazon Price New from Used from
Blu-ray 1-Disc Version $23.99  
DVD 2-Disc Version $18.95  
"Star Trek Into Darkness" Available for Pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD
From director J.J. Abrams comes the next installment in the Star Trek saga, Star Trek Into Darkness. Learn more

Frequently Bought Together

Design for Living (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] + The Lady Vanishes (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
Price for both: $51.69

Buy the selected items together


Product Details

  • Actors: Fredric March, Gary Cooper, Miriam Hopkins, Edward Everett Horton, Jane Darwell
  • Directors: Ernst Lubitsch
  • Format: Blu-ray, Black & White, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
  • Language: English
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: NR (Not Rated)
  • Studio: Criterion Collection
  • DVD Release Date: December 6, 2011
  • Run Time: 96 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B005ND8812
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,565 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Special Features

New high-definition digital restoration with uncompressed monaural soundtrack

The Clerk, starring Charles Laughton

Selected-scene commentary by film professor William Paul

Play of the Week: A Choice of Coward, a 1964 British television production

New interview with Joseph McBride on Lubitsch

PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Kim Morgan


Editorial Reviews

Gary Cooper (High Noon), Fredric March (The Best Years of Our Lives), and Miriam Hopkins (Trouble in Paradise) play a trio of Americans in Paris who enter into a very adult “gentleman’s” agreement, in this continental pre-Code comedy freely adapted by Ben Hecht (Notorious) from a play by Noël Coward (Brief Encounter), and directed by Ernst Lubitsch (Trouble in Paradise). A risqué relationship comedy and a witty take on creative pursuits, it concerns a commercial artist (Hopkins) unable—or unwilling—to choose between the equally dashing painter (Cooper) and playwright (March) she meets on a train en route to the City of Light. Design for Living is Lubitsch at his most adroit, an entertainment at once debonair and racy, featuring three stars at the height of their allure.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
62 of 67 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An underrated Pre-Code gem October 3, 2011
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
**EDIT 12-6-11** Overall, I'll say that Criterion did a great job on the restoration and transfer of this 1933 classic. I would describe the picture quality as very good, not perfect, but very good. Signs of aging are still evident throughout the film (mainly vertically running scratches), but not to the extent of distracting or taking away from the viewing experience. Quality-wise, this is the clearest, most crisp version of this film that I have viewed.

Based on the Broadway hit by legendary playwright Noël Coward, Design for Living is an excellent Pre-Code comedy from the always daring Paramount Pictures. Directed by the great Ernst Lubitsch, the film provides us with a refreshing look at the way American films were made before being heavily censored by the enforcement of the Hays Code in 1934. With the help of a risqué script from Hollywood veteran Ben Hecht, the director adds his famous "Lubitsch touch" to give us a very witty and fluid movie starring three of the biggest stars of the period. Gary Cooper, Fredric March and Miriam Hopkins have great chemistry together and really help to convey the message of the filmmakers - you only live once so do what makes you happy, regardless of how others view you.

In its day, Design for Living was very controversial for two reasons. The first and most obvious reason being the very risqué plot involving a ménage-à-trois relationship between three young Americans living in Paris. This film really took a jab at the morals and virtues that certain groups, namely the Legion of Decency, were trying to infuse back into American cinema. The second reason is that many people, including Noël Coward, were upset that screenwriter Ben Hecht retained only one line from the original play. Whether true or false, it's believed he did this in part to remove the homosexual context present in Coward's play, fearing that this even more controversial subject of the day would inevitably lead to the film being heavily censored, if it was ever played at all.

As always, I will provide only a brief description of the plot itself, as I don't want to ruin the movie for someone who hasn't seen it. The film opens as two friends, playwright Tom (March) and artist George (Cooper), are traveling by train to Paris. While sleeping, they are joined in their compartment by a beautiful young stranger, Gilda (Hopkins). Gilda, who is an artist herself, commences to draw a humorously accurate caricature of the sleeping pair, both of whom are snoring with their mouths wide open and feet propped up. The drawing ends up being the icebreaker for the trio, and after some initial criticisms, they quickly become friends. From here two major problems arise. First, Gilda has a wealthy suitor named Max (played by the wonderful Edward Everett Horton) who has been courting her for five years. Secondly, both Tom and George fall in love with Gilda while being totally unaware of each other's feelings for her. One fateful day, immediately after the friends find out they're in love with the same woman, Gilda phones to say she's coming over. After her arrival, Gilda confesses that she loves both men equally, therefore she can't decide between them. Being the crafty woman she is, Gilda proposes an arrangement to the two unsuspecting men - a "gentleman's" agreement allowing her to be with both of them. After a discussion, the newly formed group decides on one major clause in the agreement, no sex. Obviously this arrangement has the potential for causing some major problems, and well... it does. Everything I just revealed to you happens very early in the movie so there are many things left unspoiled. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have over the years.

As I stated earlier, Design for Living did not sit very well with many people upon its initial release. On this note, I feel like I should clarify something. Just because something was controversial 80 years ago does not mean it will shock audiences today. This movie is fairly tame by today's standards, but in 1933 Hollywood its subject matter was eye-opening, very much so to film censorship advocates. Design for Living, along with Barbara Stanwyck's Baby Face, were two of the final straws that led to the Hays Code being actively enforced in 1934, severely limiting the content of American films until the late 1960's. After the code was enforced, Design for Living was banned by the Legion of Decency and denied a Production Code Administration certification, leading to the film being shelved and almost forgotten for several decades.

**Special Features and Technical Aspects - As Listed by Criterion**

-New high-definition digital restoration (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
-"The Clerk," starring Charles Laughton, director Ernst Lubitsch's segment of the 1932 omnibus film If I Had a Million
-Selected-scene commentary by film scholar William Paul
-British television production of the play Design for Living from 1964, introduced on camera by playwright Noël Coward
-New interview with film scholar and screenwriter Joseph McBride on Lubitsch and screenwriter Ben Hecht's adaptation of the Coward play
-PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Kim Morgan

United States
1933
91 minutes
Black and White
1.33:1
English
Was this review helpful to you?
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Lubitsch December 4, 2011
Format:DVD
A disgruntled screenwriter stormed into director Ernst Lubitsch's office, threw 120 blank pieces of paper down onto his desk and said "Here! Give this the Lubitsch touch!"

Obviously, that's a writer's story...but the truth is that when Lubitsch did have a good script...or even a fair one, he was, indeed, able to bring that extra special "touch" to the material, thereby creating a series of risque' sophisticated comedies in the 1930s and 40s that have yet to be equaled. He was never vulgar in his "touches," but employed often hilarious visual suggestions, thus making it quite clear as to what was really going on behind those closed bedroom doors.

DESIGN FOR LIVING (1933) was adapted to the screen by Ben Hecht from Noel Coward's play. Miriam Hopkins stars as a commercial artist, who becomes smitten with both Gary Cooper, a struggling painter, and starving playwright Fredric March. The trio decides to live together...platonically...but you can imagine how long that aspect of the relationship lasts...and the problems that it causes. Edward Everett Horton co-stars in this witty, well-played comedy.

The Criterion Collection has released a marvelous 2-disc edition of DESIGN FOR LIVING that, aside from a new high-definition digital restoration with uncompressed monaural sound, also includes selected scene commentary by film professor William Paul, an interview with Joseph McBride on Lubitsch, plus a 1964 British television version of the play introduced by Coward and, best of all, the short sequence that Lubitsch directed for IF I HAD A MILLION (1932) featuring Charles Laughton. It was the funniest bit in that picture.

Finally, there is a booklet containing an essay by film critic Kim Morgan.

© Michael B. Druxman
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars "It's a gentleman's agreement..." November 22, 2011
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
Amazing Pre-Code film that I'm ecstatic to see has been selected by Criterion for this DVD release. I've been a fan of this particular genre for over a decade and when asked by friends to pick a movie that would help introduce them to the best of the Pre-Code releases in existence and release, I almost always pick "Design for Living".

Everything is just spot on - excellent performances, witty banter and a most unusual (yet completely plausible) exploration of the very nature of love and commitment. While missing some of the more naughty innuendo of the original Coward production, it still contained enough sex, sophistication and above all and at the heart of the film, a loving trio, to become one of the pinnacle films to sound the death knell on the pre-Hays freedom days and put into action the Production Code.

The bare bones of the story goes like this - girl (Gilda) meets boys (Tom & George) on a train. The three start off as friends and I'll leave it at that. Any more would completely ruin the plot and though you can probably guess what happens next, this is a movie that should be seen, savored and enjoyed piece by piece and scene by scene. I must say though, if put in Gilda's situation and forced to choose between Frederic March and Gary Cooper at the height of their talents, handsomeness and charm, why not establish 'a gentleman's agreement', particularly when one of the trio is most notably not a gentleman?

Directed masterfully by Ernst Lubitsch from Ben Hecht's adaptation of Noel Coward's play, this is definitely more than a light, screwball comedy. It's one of the best, most sophisticated and unconventional romances you'll ever see on screen. Even for a modern audience, the theme is not outdated, which just goes to show how ahead of the curve many Pre-Code films were even when seen through our 21st century eyes. One has to wonder just how many more gems such as this we might have gotten, had the Code not crashed the party.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Light Confection by the Great Lubitsch
"Design for Living," (1933), is another pre-World War II, pre-Hays code Hollywood classic, a brisk, sophisticated 91 minute black and white romantic comedy. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Stephanie DePue
4.0 out of 5 stars Royal Cast- Not a Royal Film
This film stars Fredric March, Gary Cooper, and Miriam Hopkins. It is directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Very few films have had as great a cast as this and a more highly reguarded a... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Tony Marquise Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars What a switch from Jekyl and Hyde
To think that Hopkins and March were in Jekyl and Hyde and now in a landmark comedy...talk about a 180 degree turn!!!
Published 4 months ago by RAM
5.0 out of 5 stars pre code sex comedy
For the sign of the times this movie is a great classic... It is very suggestive in every comical way possible with out vulgarity or nudity.... Read more
Published 8 months ago by brbette
2.0 out of 5 stars A cutting edge premise marred by unlikable characters
*** Warning- there a few relatively minor spoilers in this review ***

Ahhh the perils of writing negative reviews. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Fenwick
3.0 out of 5 stars Three's Company
Noel Coward, at least in the New York theater scene, is having something of another revival which prompted me to take a second, or maybe third look, at his work. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Alfred Johnson
4.0 out of 5 stars Classy "menage a trois" with some film heavy hitters
This adaptation of a Noel Coward play features three classic stars at the top of their game. Gary Cooper is George Curtis, a struggling painter. Read more
Published 14 months ago by M. Oleson
5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant Charm!
Design for Living is a witty little number produced and directed by the incomparable Ernst Lubitsch, written by Ben Hecht, based on a play by Noel Coward (okay, very loosely... Read more
Published 15 months ago by J. F. McCausland
4.0 out of 5 stars GREAT CAST IN A FORGOTTEN GEM
I had never heard of DESIGN FOR LIVING but a film starring a young Gary Cooper, Frederic Marsh and Miriam Hopkins directed by Ernst Lubitsch and written by Ben Hecht from a Noel... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Jack E. Levic
1.0 out of 5 stars lubitsch out of touch!
I saw a couple of this director's films (Trouble in Paradise/Ninotchka) and had great fun but this one based on a Coward play was so boring. Read more
Published 16 months ago by R. Monteclar
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews


Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.
Be the first to discuss this product with the community.
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 



Look for Similar Items by Category

newbury_comics Privacy Statement newbury_comics Shipping Information newbury_comics Returns & Exchanges